Package



Aug- 10, 1954 o. E. SEIFERTH 2,686,129

PACKAGE Filed April 12, 195o /0 A INVENToR.

Patented Aug. 10, 1954 PACKAGE porationof Illinois separateffmaterial ,receiving compartments vand 'Which'is adapted Tito retainrxthefematerial inA the compartments zins a :neat l"andcompact manner.

While ftheiinventio'n is'v applicable fto a/ivari'ety of rproducts-L 'it is 4particularly?adapted for :use lin tconnectio'nrwith packaging of ia ffo'odfproduct, for "example, ameat .product such-,as pork sausage.

The conventional vpork -sausage package com'- prises a natural anir'nalx i'oasingzstuiiedawith` sans sage .meat and `'divided l into4 :links 'for ,separate units -sof :'generallyfuniform `size which Iimay be separated-finto Adis'connecte'd links or which may beual'lowed-'to remain in"iconnectedcreiation in preparing such a package `thel natural-:casings which: are .generally employed fare .cleaned an@` stuffed with the meat produet,thez-latter being extruded under 'pressure into .the :casing Y Af pres determined length;- ofthe-'stuffed Vica-sing is zthen dividedxinto `links :of 4generailynniarmsizerrrlfiicih are .packed into fashipping container 'for .fdelinery to the retail store and ultimate sa1erto^tlie f consumer.

It is an object of 'thepresentclnvention oto .prosV videan'improved package of fa @food 1productsuch as :sausage meat '-for-fsaleto the econsunreriwhich ischaracterized Joy .a."trayelike fcontainer 'having formedthereina,plurality-'oficompantmentswhich are lled with the 4proi'iuet,:.zthe rcontainer :being fabricated Aof ia material fwhi'chr:wi1l: permit. :the product ltofbe cooked :or :processedIvnthoutree moval `from: the container."y

It is" a more .specific objectI Off-the finyentioniio provide vra :package of. a product foi' the ficharacter described" which' comprises a preforrn'edemetailic foil:` 'container shapedrto rprovide' 1a @plural-impor pockets '-Which 'arelledwiththe fproduc :the pockets being semi-circular in::c1oss';=secti`o tand of relatively slender elongate form, andtgfthe pockets being -arrangeclinfiside-ibyeside :relai/inn and separated Iby @a .reversely' idlde'di iportionoof the metallic` foil` container.'

Itfis safffurther object fof. the invention stoirpro; vide a method of packaging sausage meat Vl'or ttl-ie like'fin which a `sheet loffmetallie"foil is'fo'lded or'shapedto provide a tray-like `containery having aplura'lity of 'elongate pockets 'arranged inside# by-side relation; and' in vWhich `the rpockets "are each' lled with a quantityof 'the 'sausage meat and the 'filled tray is `over-Wramoed lWith "a Vtrans: parent Wrapping material.'

It'is another Yobject of the inventionto provide 2 :i a method of packagingfsausage which-'comprises -placmga sheetfof metallic foil over eiormfprovidedrwithzarseries of relatively slender :'.compar-t- Yment' 'fo'rming recesses arranged fin Eside-byf-sitle relation; folding the material' into "the recesses, llingithe lrespective Apockets so formed iwithra quantity ofthe sausage meat, removing the foil fromfthexform fand Wrapping ithef same Witlr'a transparent Wrappingv material." A

These and other kobjects Aof #the Yinventionwill be apparent 'fromfa'considerationA ofthe rpackage vvhich'is .shownr'by wayo'f illustration in the face companying drawings; wherein Fig; l is afperspectivefviewof a lpackage'*Whielfi incorporates' ytherein theprinciple's of the L'in'- venti'ont;

Fig. 2 is kan endI elevation lof the f package ;I and FigfSf'is raf'top planffview'of theepadkage.A

vReferring Ynow ."to the (:ir'awingg there is filliis; trated :.a-v package "Whiohembodie's Lthe :principal features of. 'the' I invention 'and lwhichfcomprifses a crifmpartm'entedav v-trayllike backing member or containerl f l El Ihavinga predetermined'quantity iof meat fo'rnlingl 'an elongate sausage-like -nnit fl-l inT-eac'h o'f l#the:compartments -i 2,1" theffille'd 'con-'- tainer being over-Wrapped with a transparent sheet material ylf3 Which-completely lenclos-rs the same.

The `backing :member-'fill "is l-preie'ralo'ly `formed nomia/'relatively stiif'metalli sheet material such as :aluminum Ifoil or gther-like.v 'The-member .'If 'iis #shaped to provide a v4plurality Alvofupwardly open'ingelongatevpoc'ket vforming v'rec'esses'or compartm'ents'fLZ Whichiar-enpenfat ibot'hendsf The Wallszformingeachiof the pockets' i|2 arevgenerally EUlisl'iaped iin cro'sssectionw-itlif a curved bottom portion =lf4 fand @upwardly A-fextenclingside wall portions I 5.? 'The side fwall portionsv -I 5 of adjacent -ffcompartments' f2 are f-formed' by `res verseiy foldingconnectin'g portionsfo'f-the metall-ic foi-l. Th`e=s`heet o'fifoilislbent-'orffolded along its endwedge portions, lrstoutwardly vat IE5 and them-downwardly atv I7," tooprovide '-a sti'iene'd edge :Which/:may be grasped-in Thandling the package) While in the -illustratedpackage the `tray mem-J ber l! 0 @comprises six compartments E25-any other desiredinumberof compartments mayfbe provided; Tliefnuinber shownfis designed=toaecom moda-te sriicientfsausagefmea-t 'by weight to pro-- vide va halfa'pound v package* or 1a balie-"dozen "sans sageunitsf-H =of-approximately the same size-'as conventional '2link "sausagesf lThe Ytray-like' member'i mayk heralded or shapedto' providefthe'eompartments elliin' any convenient manner as, for example, by shaping on a suitable recessed forming block. The compartments I2 are shaped so that when the sausage meat is placed therein it is formed or molded into a unit having the generally elongate rounded form of the conventional sausage link.

The wrapper I3 may be any suitable transparent material such as Saran, Cellophane, etc. which is relatively flexible and transparent so as to provide a smooth, neat package and permit visual inspection of the product in the compartments l2.

In preparing the package the tray-like member I is rst shaped to provide the compartments or recesses I2. The latter are filled with the meat to form the sausage units I I in any desired manner. The iilled tray In is then completely wrapped in the transparent sheet I3 which may be folded over the bottom or back of the member I0 and secured by a suitable adhesive, heat sealing or the like.

When the package is received by the consumer it may be prepared for cooking by merely removing the transparent over-wrap I3. The tray-like member I 0, with the sausage units I I in the compartments I2 may be placed directly in the cooking vessel. If it is desired to cook less than the full number of sausage units in the package it may be divided by cutting or slitting the foil member ID with a suitable tool between the Wall portions I4 of adjacent sausage units II. When the package is placed in the cooking vessel the aluminum foil readily transmits heat and assists in the cooking operation by conducting heat around all but the top side of each of the sausage units II. The fat content is sufncient in thecase of sausage meat to lubricate the foil surfaces and upon completion of the cooking operation the sausage units I I have the same general appearance as conventional link sausages.

While specific materials and details of construction are referred to in describing the illustrated package, it will be understood that other materials and other details of construction may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

l. A package of a meat product which is characterized by being in the form of a pliable mass, said package comprising a backing member formed from a generally rectangular sheet of relatively stii metal foil which is shaped to provide a plurality of connected pairs of side wall forming members which extend in generally parallel spaced relation across one dimension of the sheet, the respective wall forming members of each pair of said side wall members being connected along one end by a curved bottom forming wall and being connected along the opposite top edges by relatively narrow strip portions to adjoining wall forming members whereby to form a connected series of spaced individual package molds having a generally U- shaped cross section with an upwardly opening side, a predetermined quantity of the meat product in the pliable state substantially filling each of said individual molds and a thin transparent wrapper associated with said backing member and covering exposed areas of said product.

2. A consumer package of a comminuted food product, characterized by a generally rectangular sheet of relatively stiff but bendable material, which sheet is corrugated in one direction to provide a plurality of laterally separated parallel grooves having open faces and open ends, and which grooves are solidly iilled flush with the open faces and open ends thereof with a comminuted food product in a plastic moldable form and a.- iiat cover sheet in ilatwise engagement with both the corrugated sheet and the surface of the food product in the corrugations thereof.

3. A consumer package of a comminuted food product which is characterized by being in a plastic state, said package comprising a backing sheet of relatively stii metallic foil which is shaped to provide a connected series of upwardly opening elongate compartments arranged in parallel relation and extending across one dimension of the backing sheet, said compartments constituting a plurality of connected product molds having the upper open sides thereof in substantially the same plane, a quantity of said comminuted food product substantially filling each of said compartments, with the product assuming the shape of the molds and with exposed portions thereof substantially in the plane of the open sides of said molds, and a relatively thin transparent wrapper covering the exposed portions of the product in said molds.

4. A package of a comminuted food product which is characterized by being in the form of a pliable mass and which is moldable into the shape of the container in which it is placed, said package comprising a sheet of relatively stiff metal foil shaped to provide a container having a plurality of reversely folded wall forming portions dening elongate upwardly opening molding compartments arranged with the wall forming portions extending to the upper edges thereof in spaced generally parallel relation, each of said compartments having an upwardly opening side and open ends, and a predetermined quantity of the comminuted food product in the pliable state substantially lling each compartment whereby to form a plurality of individual elongate molded units of said product, with each of said units having substantially the shape of the compartment in which it is contained and a thin transparent wrapper enclosing said lled container.

5. A method of forming a consumer package of a comminuted food product which is in the plastic state, which method comprises shaping a backing sheet of metallic foil to provide a plurality of upwardly opening elongate mold forming compartments arranged in connected side-by-side relation and extending across one dimension of the backing sheet, said compartments each having a bottom wall which is curved upwardly and merges with vertical side walls, substantially lling each compartment with a quantity of the comminuted food product so that the exposed surfaces of the product in adjoining compartments are in substantially a common plane, and covering the exposed surfaces of the product with a relatively thin transparent outer wrapper.

6. A method of forming a package of a meat product which is characterized by being in the form of a pliable mass, said method comprising shaping a generally rectangular backing sheet of relatively stiff metal foil to provide a plurality of connected pairs of side wall forming members extending in generally parallel spaced relation across one dimension of the sheet, the respective wall forming members of each pair of said side wall members being connected along one edge by a bottom forming wall and being connected along the opposite edges by relatively narrow strip portions to adjoining wall forming members and thereby forming a connected series of spaced open sided individual packaging molds, substantially lling each of said molds with a predetermined quantity of said meat product in the pliable state and enclosing said backing sheet and said meat product in a relatively thin transparent outer wrapper whereby upon removal of said outer wrapper said meat product may be cooked while in said packaging molds.

7. A method of packaging a meat product which is characterized by being in the form of a pliable mass, which method comprises providing a container formed from a sheet of relatively stiff foil which is shaped into a series of laterally spaced reversely folded wall forming portions dening elongate compartments, each of said compartments having a generally U-shaped cross section with an upwardly opening side and open ends and said compartments being arranged in spaced generally parallel relation with relatively narrow strip portions connecting the top edge of each compartment to the adjoining top edge of the next adjacent compartment, filling each compartment with the meat product in the pliable state whereby to form a plurality of individual elongate molded units of said product with each unit having substantially the shape of the compartment in which it is contained and enclosing said iilled container in a thin transparent wrapper which is adapted to be removed to permit the container to be placed in a.' cook- References Cited in the le of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 472,811 Pickett et a1. Apr. 12, 1892 1,680,294 Holzapfel Aug. 14, 1928 10 1,696,343 Burdick Dec. 25, 1928 1,945,669 Vogt Feb. 6, 1934 1,973,817 Lang Sept. 18, 1934 1,975,031 Wilkes et a1. Sept. 25, 1934 2,012,815 Hodges Aug. 27, 1935 2,226,155 Bjornson Dec. 24, 1940 2,470,579 Rueckert May 17, 1949 2,495,435 Welch Jan. 24, 1950 2,506,305 Maldonado May 2, 1950 2,609,301 Lindsey Sept. 2, 1952 20 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 439,603 Great Britain Dec. 10, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES 

1. A PACKAGE OF A MEAT PRODUCT WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY BEING IN THE FORM OF A PLIABLE MASS, SAID PACKAGE COMPRISING A BACKING MEMBER FORMED FROM A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SHEET OF RELATIVELY STIFF METAL FOIL WHICH IS SHAPED TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF CONNECTED PAIRS OF SIDE WALL FORMING MEMBERS WHICH EXTEND IN GENERALLY PARALLEL SPACED RELATION ACROSS ONE DIMENSION OF THE SHEET, THE RESPECTIVE WALL FORMING MEMBERS OF EACH PAIR OF SAID SIDE WALL MEMBERS BEING CONNECTED ALONG ONE END BY A CURVED BOTTOM FORMING WALL AND BEING CONNECTED ALONG THE OPPOSITE TOP EDGES BY RELATIVELY NARROW STRIP PORTIONS TO ADJOINING WALL FORMING MEMBERS WHEREBY TO FORM A CONNECTED SERIES OF SPACED INDIVIDUAL PACKAGE MOLDS HAVING A GENERALLY USHAPED CROSS SECTION WITH AN UPWARDLY OPENING SIDE, A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF THE MEAT PRODUCT IN THE PLIABLE STATE SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING EACH OF SAID INDIVIDUAL MOLDS AND A THIN TRANSPARENT WRAPPER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID BACKING MEMBER AND COVERING EXPOSED AREAS OF SAID PRODUCT. 